ProDec brushes through a few things to consider when choosing the right roller for exterior decorating.
Any decorator knows that the quality of the finish you get is directly influenced by the paint you use, but what’s often underestimated is the influence that the tools you use can have on the job.
A substandard finish doesn’t necessarily mean a substandard decorator, it can mean a poor choice of tool and that’s particularly true for rollers.
Choosing the correct roller can also affect how long the job takes and your materials cost, which, of course, plays a part in how profitable your work is, but rollers can be a minefield of choice and it’s easy to see why even pros don’t always get it right.
Roller fabrics have changed significantly with the advent of synthetic fabrics and now more than ever, knowing which product to choose in a given situation is crucial.
Before you choose a roller, you already know the paint you’re using and the surface it’s being applied to: so ProDec starts from there and makes it clear on the packaging which paints each roller can be used with; from gloss and satin through to emulsion and masonry; and on what surface types, from smooth to very rough.
From there the two other important decisions you need to make are what pile depth you want – depending on whether you want low, medium or high build and how smooth or rough the surface is – and which fabric to choose. It’s the fabric choice that usually causes most of the confusion, not to mention dissatisfaction with the quality of the finish.
Fabric choice has an enormous influence – from how long it takes you to do a job and the finish you achieve through to how much it costs you and how long your roller lasts.
Most fabrics tend to be suited to certain types of paint, and knowing which fabric a roller is made of can be a big help in making the right choice. The fabric type is indicated on ProDec rollers so you know exactly what you’re getting and aren’t distracted by a fancy name that may not deliver what you need.
When it comes to masonry paints – and assuming you’re working on rougher surfaces – the choice narrows to those fabrics that can withstand the demands of breezeblock, roughcast, pebbledash and the rest.
Acrylic is a good standard choice for these; it is a synthetic fabric, which has an excellent balance of cost, performance and durability.
It is ProDec’s most popular fabric for these reasons, recognisable in its distinctive tiger stripe pattern and available in medium and long piles in mini roller options.
But when the going gets really tough you should consider polyamide. Polyamide is a relatively coarse fabric, which means it’s not the fabric of choice where finish quality is critical, but its key property is durability which makes it ideal for rough surfaces.
ProDec offers polyamide in long and extra long piles for these reasons – look for Heavy Duty in bold type on the packaging, which makes it instantly clear.
As well as cage rollers ProDec has 10in. stick rollers in acrylic and polyamide, which feature a padded core to withstand punishment from heavily textured surfaces.
